


Stepping Into the Light

by MoonFireFic



Category: Doctor Who (2005), Torchwood
Genre: Gen, Migrating old LJ Fic, Timey-Wimey
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-05
Updated: 2017-04-05
Packaged: 2018-10-15 05:50:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10551142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonFireFic/pseuds/MoonFireFic
Summary: Ianto is pulled out of the darkness by someone he thought lost forever





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is for the redisourcolor challenge #22 with a [picture](http://redisourcolor.livejournal.com/59022.html) as a theme. I chose to incorporate the words vade mecum, sprain, and violet. 

**Title:** Stepping Into the Light  
**Word Count:**   1,364  
**Summary:** Ianto is pulled out of the darkness by someone he thought lost forever  
**Characters:** Ianto Jones, River Song, The Doctor (11th), the TARDIS/Sexy, mention of Jack  
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Warnings:** Timey-Wimey  
**Author's Note:** This is for the redisourcolor challenge #22 with a [picture](http://redisourcolor.livejournal.com/59022.html) as a theme. I chose to incorporate the words vade mecum, sprain, and violet.   
**Beta:** None – just a crazy idea that popped into my head and wouldn’t let go.  
**Disclaimer:** Just playing in the sandbox – I don’t own any of it.  
****  
****Stepping Into the Light  
  
The first time Ianto Jones was pulled from darkness, he had lost his love to the horrors of the cybermen, and a kiss from his enemy made him whole. The second time, he managed to drag himself back long enough to declare his love for his once enemy, now lover, before an alien virus stole his breath and the darkness set in. The third time, he was brought back to taunt the one he held most dear. After finding that he was loved in return, he faced the depths of oblivion on his own terms to keep his love safe, never expecting to return. 

The fourth time, he found the face of a woman he thought lost forever smiling down at him encased in a halo of blonde curls.

Before Ianto could ask where he was, she helped him to his feet and set him down on a nearby chair with a cup of tea.

“Welcome back,” she said as he blinked, trying to get his bearings.

“Where am I?” he asked sipping from the cup and sighing in relief as the free-radicals and tannins within the beverage cleared his muddled brain.

“Bit of a mix-up, well when I say mix-up, it was more like a _sprain_ in the timeline,” answered a floppy haired man with an over-large face, a tweed jacket, and a red bowtie. As he stepped forward and scanned him with a buzzing green light, recognition set in.

“You’re the Doctor,” Ianto stated, somehow certain he was right. At the Doctor’s nod, he looked around and realized where he was. “And this is the TARDIS,” he whispered with wonder.

“Oh he’s a smart one River,” the Doctor said as he twirled his sonic screwdriver in his hand. “Just regenerated, managed to keep the same face even, and here he is, right as rain and no vade mecum required!”

“I always thought so,” she answered with a smug smile. “But then again with us as parents, why would he need a guidebook anyway?” Reaching over she lifted a hand to cup Ianto’s cheek in motherly pride.

Ianto looked back at his mother, the woman he hadn’t seen since he was so very small with wide eyes.

“You mean you and he? He and you are?” he asked, nearly spilling his cup of tea as he tried to articulate his question.

“Maybe I spoke too soon,” The Doctor said with a grimace as he leaned against the console, only to receive a slight shock from his ship in return. “Oh, I’m being _rude_ aren’t I?” he asked, rubbing his backside.

“Just a bit,” River answered with a tolerant smile as she dropped her hand to steady Ianto’s trembling hands with her own. “Sweetie, do try and remember that Ianto hasn’t seen me since he was very little and I had to hide him from the Judoon with that nice family in Wales.” She reminded him before turning back to Ianto with a sad smile. “I meant to come for you sooner dear one, but timelines being what they were, I couldn’t risk it.”

Ianto nodded, seeing the pain in her eyes was genuine.

“But why now?” he asked struggling to make sense of things.

“Well, the timeline got all jumbled up,” the Doctor started to explain as he flipped a few switches on the console. “You, my boy, were supposed to regenerate _before_ the hub imploded.” He turned another dial and satisfied that they were moving in the right time stream, turned around to face them properly.

“Whole timeline went nuts,” he said as he started to pace. “No binary vascular system, so no way to process the virus that the 456 spat out, and _then_ you get brought back by that idiot Syriath and sacrifice yourself all over again just to save Jack of all people,” he finished throwing up his hands.

“But how was I to know?” Ianto replied as the Doctor caught his breath. “I never tested as anything other than human. Sure I’ve always been a touch empathic, and sometimes catch the odd stray thought, but nothing that would suggest well, this!” he said in exasperation, placing his hand on his chest where two distinct heartbeats could now be felt.

“But here you are just the same,” River answered smiling serenely. “And even if he is a touch upset about the circumstances-“

“That bit of self-sacrifice to close the rift was far too impulsive of you son. Don’t do it again,” the Doctor interjected shaking his finger.

“Your father and I are both just happy to have you with us safe and sound,” she finished reaching up to take the Doctor’s hand while she squeezed her son’s in reassurance.   
  
“I’ll try to keep that in mind,” Ianto answered, not sure he even fully understood how he had come to be inside the TARDIS.

“The stopwatch,” River said guessing his question. “I linked it up to the TARDIS ages ago, so when everything started to go pear-shaped we could pull you through.”

Ianto reached inside his waistcoat and pulled out the stopwatch that he had been his constant companion since before he could remember.

“It took a bit to get you out of the rift, but we managed it,” the Doctor said as he crouched down beside him. “Brilliant your mother is. Created a small pocket of reality, just large enough to pull you through and keep you safe,” he added with a grin.

“Thank you,” Ianto said quietly, as his parents smiled back at him. “So what now?”

”Well,” the Doctor said patting Ianto’s knee and hopping back up onto his feet. “Since Jack has done a runner to who knows where, and everyone thinks both you and I are dead, _and_ your mother broke out of the Stormcage to see me," he paused to share a sly grin with River. "I thought we'd go on a good old fashioned family trip!” the Doctor explained bouncing on the balls of his feet as the TARDIS landed.

Ianto looked at River who rolled her eyes and helped him to his feet. “Best get on with it,” she advised. “He’ll be a misery if we don’t let him show off a little now that you’re here.”

With that, the two of them made their way over to the TARDIS doors where the Doctor waited impatiently.

“You’re sure you got the destination right?” River asked innocently as they reached him.

“Sexy always gets us _exactly_ where we need to go, even if I am not sure we needed to go there in the first place,” the Doctor reminded her.

“She chose the destination didn’t she?” Ianto asked with a smirk as the sound of gentle laughter filled the air around them.

“Cheeky,” the Doctor said raising an eyebrow in his direction. Ianto raised the same eyebrow and the Doctor grinned in response.

“The eyebrow may be from you,” River said, reaching over to straighten Ianto’s tie.  “But the cheek and cleverness is _all_ _me,_ ” she purred, smoothing down the shoulders of Ianto’s jacket and kissing his cheek before turning back to the Doctor with a saucy smirk.

The Doctor didn’t argue, he just grinned and threw open the doors with flourish, exposing a vast stone hallway with chandeliers hanging down from the center of the ceiling to illuminate the entrances to the exhibit halls off the main corridor.

“Family, I give you the Great Cache of Callipedium,” he said as they entered the chamber. “The largest collection of artifacts in the universe,” he added as they looked around. “They’ve got a first edition of _Moxx in Socks_ , a quadrilateral star splicing machine, the gem of Merisharr, Oh! and they even have the _original_ Napier Vacuum Machine,” he added winking at Ianto where he stood transfixed.

“I’m on another planet,” he replied looking out the window at the violet hued sky.

“Not _too_ much of a shock I trust?” the Doctor asked as he came to a stop beside him.

Ianto turned from the window and grinned. “Not even a twinge,” he said grinning wider as they went to join River at the information console.

“So what do you boys want to see first?” she asked as a map hovered in the air before them.

“Everything,” Ianto breathed, his eyes glittering with excitement.

The Doctor and River exchanged a glance and smiled. They finally had their son back where he belonged, and were about to start their greatest adventure; exploring the wonders of the universe together as a family - for as long as the timelines allowed.

 

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